Methods and assemblies for welding a gasket to a pipe section

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to a method of welding a gasket to a spigot portion of a pipe section. The method includes supporting the gasket in a recess on the spigot portion of the pipe section. The gasket includes a seating portion and a sealing portion. The sealing portion includes a first shoulder portion and a second shoulder portion. A first bonding portion extends from the first shoulder portion and a second bonding portion extends from the second shoulder portion. The first bonding portion and the second bonding portion are provided to bond the gasket to the spigot portion. The method further includes heating a portion of the gasket and an adjacent surface of the spigot portion and applying a force onto the portion of the gasket following the application of heat to fuse the gasket onto the spigot portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a gasket, and more particularly, tomethods and assemblies for welding a gasket to a pipe section.

2. Background of the Disclosure

Corrugated pipe sections are used in the drainage of water-saturatedsoil in various agricultural, residential, recreational, or civilengineering and construction applications, such as for storm sewers.Traditionally, a drainage pipe was made from clay or concrete, whichcaused the pipe to be heavy, expensive, and brittle. In order to improvethe cost-effectiveness, durability, and ease-of-installation of drainagepipes, it is now common in the art to manufacture them from variousmaterials including various polymers and polymer blends.

Such plastic drainage pipe is generally extruded, molded, and cut toform relatively light, manageable, and transportable sizes of drainagepipe sections, ranging from a few feet to many yards in length. Oncethese plastic pipe sections are transported to their desiredinstallation location, they are assembled lengthwise by the installationof joints, adhesives, or other coupling means. For example, one methodof assembly involves the formation of a wide-diameter bell at one end ofeach plastic pipe section. The bell is formed such that a spigot on anopposite end of an adjacent pipe section may be inserted into theexpanded bell-shaped end. During the pipe manufacturing process, aninjection molded gasket is pushed onto the spigot of a pipe section,thereby forming a seal when the spigot is inserted into the bell.

Corrugated pipes used for ground water drainage are subjected tonumerous stresses during installation and use that must be accommodatedby the gasket disposed between the bell and spigot. For example, a largefrictional force is encountered when the spigot and the gasket areinserted into the bell. As the spigot is pushed into the bell, thegasket at times is undesirably pulled from the groove by the largefrictional force. When the pipe is not properly sealed, ground water mayleak into the pipe or fluid may leak out of the pipe and contaminate thearea surrounding the pipe sections.

Additionally and/or alternatively, the joining sections of thecorrugated pipe may be exposed to numerous forces causing stress to thegasket during its lifetime. Such stress may allow the gasket to movefrom its desired location and allow debris to infiltrate the gasketseat. This may reduce the effectiveness of the sealing assembly.

Accordingly, there is a need for methods and assemblies to attach thegasket to the spigot such that the gasket is less likely to be removedfrom the spigot during handling, storing, shipping, and/or installation.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One embodiment of the disclosure is directed to a method of welding agasket to a spigot portion of a pipe section. The method may includesupporting the gasket in a recess on the spigot portion of the pipesection. The gasket may include a seating portion and a sealing portion.The seating portion may extend radially and dimensioned to fit within anannular recess in the spigot portion. The sealing portion may include afirst shoulder portion axially extending from one side of the seatingportion and a second shoulder portion extending from the other side ofthe seating portion. The first and second shoulder portions may beconfigured to engage the spigot portion on axially opposite sides. Afirst bonding portion may extend from the first shoulder portion and asecond bonding portion may extend from the second shoulder portion. Thefirst and second bonding portions are provided to bond the gasket to thespigot portion. The method may further include heating a portion of thegasket and an adjacent surface of the spigot portion and applying aforce onto the portion of the gasket following the application of heatto fuse the gasket onto the spigot portion.

In various embodiments, the method may include one or more of thefollowing additional features: wherein heating the portion of the gasketand the adjacent surface of the spigot portion includes melting at leastthe first bonding portion, the second bonding portion, and adjacentsurfaces of the spigot portion; wherein the applying force onto theportion of the gasket includes applying one or more compression rollersonto a sealing surface of the sealing portion of the gasket; whereinapplying one or more compression rollers includes applying threecompression rollers; wherein the gasket is a strip gasket; furtherincluding continuously heating the gasket and the spigot portion along alength of the gasket; and further including heating the gasket atvarious spots along a circumference of the spigot portion.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is directed to a method ofmanufacturing a pipe assembly. The pipe assembly includes a firstcorrugated pipe section having a bell portion, a second corrugated pipesection having a spigot portion, and a gasket configured to seal thespigot portion within the bell portion. The method may includesupporting the gasket in a recess on the spigot portion of the pipesection. The gasket may include a seating portion and a sealing portion.The seating portion may extend radially and dimensioned to fit within anannular recess in the spigot portion. The sealing portion may include afirst shoulder portion axially extending from one side of the seatingportion and a second shoulder portion extending from the other side ofthe seating portion. The first and second shoulder portions beingconfigured to engage the spigot portion on axially opposite sides. Afirst bonding portion may extend from the first shoulder portion and asecond bonding portion may extend from the second shoulder portion. Thefirst bonding portion and the second bonding portion are provided tobond the gasket to the spigot portion. The method may further includedirecting heat onto a portion of the gasket and an adjacent surface ofthe spigot portion and applying pressure to the portion of the gasket tofuse the portion of the gasket to the adjacent surface of the spigotportion.

In various embodiments, the method may include one or more of thefollowing additional features: further including providing a weldingassembly including one or more blower heads positioned adjacent one ormore compression rollers; wherein the one or more blower heads areconfigured to apply heat to the gasket and spigot portion; wherein thewelding assembly includes three compression rollers; wherein the weldingassembly is handheld; wherein the welding assembly is automatic; furtherincluding rotating the spigot portion while directing heat onto theportion of the gasket; further including melting at least the firstbonding portion, the second bonding portion, and adjacent surfaces ofthe spigot portion; and further including applying pressure to thesurface of the gasket immediately following the step of melting thefirst bonding portion, the second bonding portion, and adjacent surfacesof the spigot portion.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is directed to a gasket forproviding a seal between a bell portion of a first corrugated pipesection and a spigot portion of a second corrugated pipe section. Thegasket may include a seating portion extending radially and dimensionedto fit within an annular recess in the spigot portion. The gasket mayfurther include a sealing portion including a first shoulder portionaxially extending from one side of the seating portion and a secondshoulder portion extending from the other side of the seating portion,the first and second shoulder portions being configured to engage thespigot portion on axially opposite sides. A first bonding portionextending from the first shoulder portion and a second bonding portionextending from the second shoulder portion. The first bonding portionand the second bonding portion are configured to bond the gasket to thespigot portion.

In various embodiments, the method may include one or more of thefollowing additional features: wherein the first bonding portion and thesecond bonding portion are formed of an elastomeric material; whereinthe first bonding portion and the second bonding portion are integralwith the first shoulder portion and the second shoulder portion,respectively; and wherein the first bonding portion and the secondbonding portion each have a surface area sufficient to facilitatebonding of the gasket to the spigot portion.

Additional objects and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth inpart in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious fromthe description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. Theobjects and advantages of the disclosure will be realized and attainedby means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of thedisclosure and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial, cross-sectional view of an exemplary coupling forjoining two sections of a pipe;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary gasket for use in thecoupling of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a handheld welding assembly;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the handheld welding assembly of FIG. 3, usedfor welding an exemplary gasket to a spigot portion;

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of an automatic welding assembly used forwelding an exemplary gasket to a spigot portion;

FIG. 5B is an exploded view of the automatic welding assembly of FIG.5A;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theautomatic welding assembly of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of theautomatic welding assembly of FIG. 5A; and

FIG. 8 is a top view of the automatic welding assembly of FIG. 7, foruse welding an exemplary gasket to a spigot portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary coupling portion 10 for coupling a firstcorrugated pipe section 12 and a second corrugated pipe section 14. Ingeneral, coupling portion 10 includes a bell portion 16 disposed on anend of first corrugated pipe section 12 and a spigot portion 18 disposedon an end of second corrugated pipe section 14. Coupling portion 10 alsoincludes a gasket 20, for retaining and sealing spigot portion 18 withinbell portion 16.

Gasket 20 may be a one-piece structure formed of an elastomericmaterial, such as a thermoplastic elastomeric material or anotherrelatively flexible and elastic material. In at least some embodiments,gasket 20 may be comprised of polyisoprene. Gasket 20 may be formed byany process, such as injection molding or any other suitable process. Insome embodiments, gasket 20 may be formed as a strip gasket that isseparate from first corrugated pipe section 12 and second corrugatedpipe section 14. In other embodiments, gasket 20 may be extrudeddirectly onto spigot portion 18 of second corrugated pipe section 14.

Referring to the exemplary gasket depicted in FIG. 2, gasket 20 includesa seating portion 26 and a sealing portion 30. Seating portion 26 may beshaped to fit within a recess 24 of a mini-corrugation 22 or in a recessbetween corrugations. In some embodiments, seating portion 26 mayinclude one or more protrusions 28 such as, for example, bumps or ridgesto facilitate gripping of the seating portion 26 within recess 24 ofmini-corrugation 22 of spigot portion 18 (FIG. 1). The shape of gasket20 and the ratio of the mass of the sealing portion 30 to the seatingportion 26 may optimize the sealing ability of gasket 20 while allowingeffective seating of gasket 20 for a given overall gasket mass.

Seating portion 26 includes a first shoulder portion 32 and a secondshoulder portion 34, and a sealing surface 36 extending between firstshoulder portion 32 and second shoulder portion 34. The sealing surface36 may seal against an interior surface of bell portion 16. In someembodiments, sealing surface 36 may be textured and include one or moreprotrusions 38 such as, for example, bumps or ridges to retain spigotportion 18 within bell portion 16. First shoulder portion 32 and secondshoulder portion 34 may be configured to engage adjacent crowns 22 a, 22b of mini-corrugation 22. In some embodiments, first and second shoulderportions 32, 34 may span almost the entire width of the corrugation 22thus desirably distributing the sealing force over the width of thecorrugation. As shown in FIG. 2, a notch 40 is formed in second shoulderportion 34 to allow gasket 20 to adjust to forces that it may besubjected to during use. Notch 40 may be a number of different shapes,including, for example, V-shaped.

Sealing portion 30 also includes a first bonding portion 42 extendingfrom first shoulder portion 32 and a second bonding portion 44 extendingfrom second shoulder portion 34. First bonding portion 42 and secondbonding portion 44 may be formed of the same material as gasket 20, andmay provide additional surface area to bond gasket 20 to spigot portion18. First bonding portion 42 and second bonding portion 44 may have anyknown shape and/or configuration. In the exemplary embodiment, firstbonding portion 42 and second bonding portion 44 each have an arcuateshape.

First bonding portion 42 and second bonding portion 44 may have the sameor different dimensions. In at least some embodiments, first bondingportion 42 and/or second bonding portion 44 may have a length of about0.4652 inches and a thickness of 0.125 inches. The length of firstbonding portion 42 may be a linear distance from a terminal end of firstbonding portion 42 to seating portion 26, and the length of secondbonding portion 44 may be a linear distance from a terminal end ofsecond bonding portion 44 to seating portion notch 40. In someembodiments, first bonding portion 42 and/or second bonding portion 44may have an arcuate length of about 0.5 inches. It will be understoodthat the dimensions of first bonding portion 42 and second bondingportion 44 may vary based on the dimensions of the second corrugatedpipe section 14.

FIG. 3 discloses an exemplary assembly 46 for welding gasket 20 tospigot portion 18. In general, assembly 46 includes a blower mount 54, aroller mount 52, and a grip housing 50. In this embodiment, assembly 46may be a portable or handheld assembly having one or more handles 48 ongrip housing 50 configured to be grasped by an operator during use.

Blower mount 54 includes a housing 61, and a first arm 62 a and a secondarm 62 b extending from housing 61. A first blower head 64 a is disposedon an end of first arm 62 a and a second blower head 64 b is disposed atan end of second arm 62 b. While the depicted embodiment includes twoblower arms and corresponding heads, it will be understood that agreater or lesser number of blower arms and heads may be provided. Inthe exemplary embodiment, first blower arm 62 a and second blower arm 62b are symmetrically disposed about housing 61, and first blower head 62a and second blower head 62 b are angled inward towards each other. Inother embodiments, first blower arm 62 a and second blower arm 62 b maybe substantially parallel. In other embodiments, each arm may beconfigured to move relative to body 50 to adjust the position of firstblower head 64 a and second blower head 64 b relative to housing 50 andto each other.

Blower heads 64 a and 64 b may have any suitable size, shape, and/orconfiguration to, for example, apply heat between gasket 20 and spigotportion 18. Blower mount 54 may be connected to a source of energy suchas, for example, a source of heat, to deliver highly heated air toblower arms 62 a, 62 b and blower heads 64 a, 64 b. In some embodiments,blower heads 64 a, 64 b may be configured to apply heat onto gasket 20and spigot portion 18 within a temperature range of about 350° F. to450° F.

Roller mount 52 includes one or more compression rollers 56 eachrotatably mounted between arms of a clevis 58. The one or morecompression rollers 56 may be arranged substantially vertically betweenblower arms 62 a and 62 b, and generally perpendicular to blower arms 62a and 62 b. The one or more compression rollers 56 may have any suitablesize, cross-sectional area, shape, and/or configuration to, for example,apply pressure to force two or more heated materials together. In theexemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, roller mount 52 includes threecompression rollers 56 a, 56 b, and 56 c rotatably mounted on clevises58 a, 58 b, and 58 c, respectively. It should be understood, however,that roller mount 52 may include a greater or lesser number ofcompression rollers.

Referring to FIG. 4, gasket 20 may be a strip gasket that may be placedabout an outer circumference of spigot portion 18. Seating portion 26 ofgasket 20 may be placed in recess 24 in mini-corrugation 22 on thesurface of spigot portion 18. Upon placement of gasket 20 in recess 24,first shoulder portion 42 may rest on a first crown and second shoulderportion 44 may rest on a second crown of mini-corrugation 22.

Gasket 20 may then be fused to spigot portion 18 by, for example,welding first bonding portion 42 and second bonding portion 44 to spigotportion 18. In particular, an operator may position assembly 46 adjacentgasket 20 and spigot portion 18. Heated pressurized air may betransmitted through first blower arm 62 a and second blower arm 62 b tofirst blower head 64 a and second blower head 64 b, respectively. Firstblower head 64 a and second blower head 64 b may be positioned relativeto gasket 20 so that heat may be applied to the area between spigotportion 18 and gasket 20.

As gasket 20 and spigot portion 18 are heated, heat is conducted tofirst bonding portion 42 and second bonding portion 44 until first andsecond bonding portions 42, 44 and the surface of spigot portion 18 havesufficiently melt and mixed. In some embodiments, gasket 20 and spigotportion 18 may be heated to 350 to 450° F. It should be noted, however,that the duration and temperature of the heated air applied to gasket 20and spigot portion 18 may be adjusted so that the melting occurs only atfirst bonding portion 42 and second bonding portion 44 (FIG. 2).

Compression rollers 56 a, 56 b, and 56 c, which are adjacent blowerheads 64 a and 64 b, may be applied to gasket 20 after gasket 20 andspigot portion 18 have been heated. Compression rollers 56 a, 56 b, and56 c may be configured to apply sufficient force to sealing surface 36to force the heated materials together. In this manner, gasket 20 may befused to spigot portion 18.

Operator may be configured to manually operate assembly 46 via the oneor more handles 48 and move assembly 46 along gasket 20 about thecircumference of spigot portion 18. In some embodiments, operator maycontinuously apply heat to the entire length of gasket 20 to weld gasket20 to spigot portion 18. In other embodiments, assembly 46 may be usedto spot weld gasket 20 to spigot portion 18. In those embodiments,welding may be concentrated at various spots between gasket 20 andspigot portion 18 about the circumference of spigot portion 18. Aftergasket 20 has been welded to spigot portion 18, bell portion 16 of firstcorrugated pipe section 12 may be mated to spigot portion 18 of secondcorrugated pipe section 14 to form coupling portion 10 (FIG. 1).

FIGS. 5A and 5B disclose another assembly 100 for welding an exemplarygasket to a spigot portion. Assembly 100 includes a supporting structure102, a blower mount 106, and a roller mount 104 fixed to a portion 102 aof supporting structure 102. Assembly 100 further includes a rotatingassembly 112 configured to rotate spigot portion 18 relative tosupporting structure 102, blower mount 106, and roller mount 104, all ofwhich remain stationary. In this embodiment, assembly 100 is anautomatic welding assembly which enables the user to preset the speed atwhich spigot portion 18 is rotated. The speed of rotating assembly 112may be set via a controller (not shown). In addition, rotating assembly112 may be positioned at any other suitable location of assembly 100 toeffectuate rotation of spigot portion 18 relative to supportingstructure 102, blower mount 106, and roller mount 104.

Blower mount 106 includes a blower housing 107, a first blower arm 108a, and a second blower arm 108 b. First blower arm 108 a and secondblower arm 108 b may extend from blower housing 107. A first blower head110 a is disposed on an end of first arm 108 a and a second blower head110 b is disposed at an end of second arm 108 b. As in the embodimentdescribed above, blower heads may have any shape, size, and/orconfiguration to deliver ambient or heated air to bond gasket 20 andspigot portion 18. In contrast to the embodiment described above, firstarm 108 a and first blower head 110 a are substantially parallel tosecond blower arm 108 b and second blower head 110 b. In certainembodiments, blower mount 106 may be any appropriate heat-conductingdevice configured to heat gasket 20 for bonding to spigot portion 18.

Roller mount 102 includes a support 103 substantially perpendicular toblower housing 107. Roller mount 102 includes one or more compressionrollers 104 mounted to support 102. In this embodiment, the one or morecompression rollers 105 are horizontally arranged below blower heads110. While one compression roller 105 a is shown, it will be understoodthat two compression rollers are provided below and substantially inparallel with blower heads 110 a and 110 b. It is contemplated that, insome embodiments, a greater or lesser number of compression rollers maybe provided.

During the pipe manufacturing process, rotating assembly 112 may beconfigured to rotate spigot portion 18 relative to supporting structure102 at a speed set by a controller. Heating pressurized air may bedelivered through first arm 108 a and second arm 108 b to first blowerhead 110 a and second blower head 110 b, respectively. First blower head110 a may be positioned relative to a first gasket 20, and second blowerhead 110 b may be positioned relative to a second gasket 20, so thatheat may be applied to the area between spigot portion 18 and the firstand second gaskets 20. As the first and second gaskets 20 and spigotportion 18 are heated, heat is conducted to first bonding portion 42 andsecond bonding portion 44 to bond first and second bonding portions 42,44 to spigot portion 18. As spigot portion 18 rotates, the one or morecompression rollers 105 may be configured to apply sufficient force tosealing surface 36 of each of the first and second gaskets 20 to forcethe heated materials together. In this manner, the first and secondgaskets 20 may be fused to spigot portion 18. And accordingly, assembly100 may be configured to weld multiple gaskets 20 to spigot portion 18.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of anautomatic welding assembly 200. Assembly 200 includes a supportingstructure 210, a roller mount 212, and a blower mount 216. As in theembodiment discussed above, roller mount 212 includes a support 213 andtwo compression rollers 214 a, 214 b mounted to support 213. In thisembodiment, however, blower mount 216 includes a platform 215 and aplurality of blower arms 218 pivotably attached to platform 215. Blowerarms 218 may be configured to adjust the position of blower heads 220for spigot portions of varying diameters.

As shown in FIG. 6, assembly 200 includes a first blower arm 218 ahaving a first coupling portion 222 a disposed at one end and a firstblower head 220 a disposed at an opposing end, and a second blower arm218 b having a second coupling portion 222 b disposed at one end and asecond blower head 220 b disposed at an opposing end. First couplingportion 222 a of first blower arm 218 a and second coupling portion 222b of second blower arm 218 b are pivotably coupled to platform 215 via ascrew (not shown).

Assembly 200 further includes a third blower arm 218 c having a thirdcoupling portion 222 c disposed at one end and a third blower head 220 cdisposed at an opposing end, and a fourth blower arm 218 d having afourth coupling portion 222 d disposed at one end and a fourth blowerhead 220 d disposed at an opposing end. Third coupling portion 222 c ofthird blower arm 218 c and fourth coupling portion 222 d of fourthblower arm 218 d are pivotably coupled to platform 215 via a screw 224.

By this arrangement, each blower arm may be adjustable. In particular,each blower arm 218 may be configured to move relative to supportingstructure 210 and each other. For example, each blower arm 218 may beconfigured to pivot relative to supporting structure 210 so that acorresponding blower head 220 moves toward or away from an adjacentblower head 220. As alluded to above, first, second, third, and fourthblower arms 220 a, 220 b, 220 c, 220 d may be configured to deliverambient or heated air. In other embodiments, any of first, second,third, and fourth blower arms 220 a, 220 b, 220 c, 220 d may be anyappropriate heat-conducting device. As shown in FIG. 6, assembly 200 mayfurther include a blower assembly 226 for delivery ambient or heated airto one or more gaskets 20 and spigot portion 18.

FIG. 7 discloses another alternative embodiment of an automatic weldingassembly. Assembly 300 includes a supporting structure 310, a driveroller 320, a roller mount 340, and one or more swing arms 330 topivotably attach roller mount 320 to supporting structure 310. In someembodiments, assembly 300 may further include a blower mount 350attached to swing arms 330 (FIG. 8). Blower mount 350 may be configuredto deliver ambient or heated air to gasket 20 and spigot portion 18. Inthis embodiment, the automatic welding assembly may be configured tobond gasket 20 to spigot portion 18 by applying pressure to an interiorand exterior surface of spigot portion 18.

As shown in FIG. 7, drive roller 320 is coupled to supporting structure310 via shaft 321. Drive roller 320 may have any known size and/orconfiguration to be placed in an interior of spigot portion 18. Driveroller 320 may be driven in rotation by an electric motor (not shown)coupled to support structure 310.

Roller mount 340 may be pivotally coupled to drive roller 320 via swingarms 330. The number of swing arms 330 may correspond to the number ofcompression rollers 342 of roller mount 340. In the exemplaryembodiment, roller mount 340 includes two compression rollers 342 a, 342b each pivotally coupled to driver roller 320 via swing arms 330 a, 330b. Compression rollers 342 a, 342 b may have any size, shape, and/orconfiguration to, for example, apply force to heated materials. As shownin FIG. 8, compression rollers 342 a, 342 b may be coupled by apneumatic ram 344.

During pipe manufacturing, drive roller 320 may be placed in an interiorof spigot portion 18 and compression rollers 342 a, 342 b may be placedon sealing surface 26 of gasket 20. One or more blower mounts 350 (FIG.8) may be mounted on swing arms 330 a, 330 b, and may be configured toapply heat to gasket 20 and spigot portion 18. Immediately following,compression rollers 342 a, 342 b may be applied to the heated area. Inparticular, the pneumatic ram 344 may be configured to exert a force onroller mount 340. In doing so, driver roller 320 may be pulled againstan interior of spigot portion 18 to exert pressure on the interiorsurface of spigot portion 18. Further, pressure may be applied tocompression rollers 342 a, 342 b to exert a force on gasket 20 to forcethe heated materials together.

Other methods of welding gasket 20 to spigot portion 18 arecontemplated. For example, in some embodiments, gasket 20 may be fusedto spigot portion 18 using a heated roller or hot plate gasketstretcher. In other embodiments, gasket 20 may be welded using fusion orultrasonic welders. In yet other embodiments, gasket 20 may be extrudeddirectly onto spigot portion 18. And in other embodiments, moltenplastic may be extruded onto spigot portion 18 and gasket 20 to fusegasket 20 to spigot portion 18. Furthermore, although FIG. 3 illustratesroller mount 52 including a plurality of compression rollers 56 arrangedin series for applying compression to a single gasket 20 to fuse gasket20 to spigot portion 18, it should be appreciated that in otherembodiments, assembly 46 may include one or more additional rollermounts 52 arranged in parallel to assist the fusing of a plurality ofgaskets 20 to spigot portion 18. It should also be appreciated thatassembly 300 of FIGS. 7 and 8 may include one more additional driverollers 320 and roller mounts 340 arranged in parallel to assist fusingof a plurality of gaskets 20 to spigot portion 18. Moreover, it shouldbe appreciated that assembly 200 may include one or more additionalcompression rollers 214 a and 214 b arranged in series, similar to thearrangement of rollers 56 in FIG. 3, to further assist the fusing ofgaskets 20 to spigot portion 18.

Advantages of the present methods and assemblies for welding a gasketonto a spigot may include structurally reinforcing the gasket to aspigot portion such that during handling, storing, shipping, andinstallation, the gasket portion may be less likely to be removed fromthe spigot portion. Additionally, the disclosed methods may obstruct theability of dirt, rock, or other debris from penetrating under thegasket, which could affect the sealing ability of the product.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of thedisclosure disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. A gasket for providing a seal between a bellportion of a first corrugated pipe section and a spigot portion of asecond corrugated pipe section, the gasket comprising: a seating portionextending radially and dimensioned to fit within an annular recess inthe spigot portion; a sealing portion including a first shoulder portionaxially extending from one side of the seating portion and a secondshoulder portion extending from the other side of the seating portion,the first and second shoulder portions being configured to engage thespigot portion on axially opposite sides; and a first bonding portionextending from the first shoulder portion and a second bonding portionextending from the second shoulder portion, wherein the first bondingportion and the second bonding portion are configured to bond the gasketto the spigot portion.
 18. The gasket of claim 17, wherein the firstbonding portion and the second bonding portion are formed of anelastomeric material.
 19. The gasket of claim 18, wherein the firstbonding portion and the second bonding portion are integral with thefirst shoulder portion and the second shoulder portion, respectively.20. The gasket of claim 17, wherein the first bonding portion and thesecond bonding portion each have a surface area sufficient to facilitatebonding of the gasket to the spigot portion.
 21. The gasket of claim 18,wherein the elastomeric material is polyisoprene.
 22. The gasket ofclaim 17, wherein the seating portion includes one or more protrusions.23. The gasket of claim 17, wherein the sealing portion includes one ormore protrusions.
 24. A gasket for providing a seal between a bellportion of a first corrugated pipe section and a spigot portion of asecond corrugated pipe section, the gasket comprising: a seating portionextending radially and dimensioned to fit within an annular recess inthe spigot portion; a sealing portion including a first shoulder portionaxially extending from one side of the seating portion and a secondshoulder portion extending from the other side of the seating portion,the first and second shoulder portions being configured to engage thespigot portion on axially opposite sides; and a first bonding portionextending from the first shoulder portion, wherein the first bondingportion is configured to bond the gasket to the spigot portion.
 25. Thegasket of claim 24, wherein the first bonding portion is formed of anelastomeric material.
 26. The gasket of claim 25, wherein the firstbonding portion is integral with the first shoulder portion.
 27. Thegasket of claim 24, wherein the first bonding portion has a surface areasufficient to facilitate bonding of the gasket to the spigot portion.28. The gasket of claim 25, wherein the elastomeric material ispolyisoprene.
 29. The gasket of claim 24, wherein the seating portionincludes one or more protrusions.
 30. The gasket of claim 24, whereinthe sealing portion includes one or more protrusions.
 31. A pipeassembly comprising: a bell portion of a first pipe section; a spigotportion of a second pipe section; and a gasket including: a seatingportion extending radially and dimensioned to fit within an annularrecess in the spigot portion; a sealing portion including a firstshoulder portion axially extending from one side of the seating portionand a second shoulder portion extending from the other side of theseating portion, the first and second shoulder portions being configuredto engage the spigot portion on axially opposite sides; and a firstbonding portion extending from the first shoulder portion, wherein thefirst bonding portion is configured to bond the gasket to the spigotportion.
 32. The pipe assembly of claim 31, wherein the first bondingportion is formed of an elastomeric material.
 33. The pipe assembly ofclaim 32, wherein the first bonding portion is integral with the firstshoulder portion.
 34. The pipe assembly of claim 31, wherein the firstbonding portion has a surface area sufficient to facilitate bonding ofthe gasket to the spigot portion.
 35. The pipe assembly of claim 31,wherein the seating portion includes one or more protrusions.
 36. Thepipe assembly of claim 31, wherein the sealing portion includes one ormore protrusions.